LOS ANGELES — For the first time in West Coast Conference play this season, Saint Mary's Men's Basketball faced the test of playing two games in three days. After a tough, physical win against Santa Clara just two nights prior, the Gaels came out fast and efficient on Saturday at Loyola Marymount. Led by some of their top dogs, the Gaels blitzed their way past the Lions to the tune of an 83-51 victory in one of their most impressive showings on the year. Saint Mary's is now 15-4 (3-1) while the Lions fall to 9-8 (2-3).
 
DANG, DUCAS!
Over the last four games, few Gaels have been as consistent and productive as Alex Ducas. After scoring 17 points on Thursday against Santa Clara, Ducas was again a catalyst for the Saint Mary's offense. Beginning in the first half, Ducas nearly matched his final total from Thursday, racking up 14 points on 6-10 from the field. His pace cooled off in the second half, but that was because the Gaels offense had built up enough of a cushion that he didn't need to see the floor. Ducas tied a season-best with 22 points, including 9-14 from the field, in one of his best games as a Gael.
 
MOVEMENT IS KEY
The Gaels continued to show great ball movement when their offense is at peak efficiency, and Saturday was no exception. The Gaels put up 21 assists on 32 made shots against the Lions, with Logan Johnson leading the way with five. Six Gaels had at least two assists, and on the flip side, they held the Lions to just five helpers. Saint Mary's put up 20+ assists for the third time this season, and their first time since their December 11 home game against UC Santa Barbara. The Gaels have lost just five times in the last three-plus seasons when recording at least 10 assists in a game.
 
DEFENSE LEADS TO OFFENSE
Virtually every defensive number went in favor of the Gaels on Saturday night, including in the turnover department. They forced 13 Lion turnovers, while taking care of the ball on offense, coughing it up just seven times. Those defensive plays led to a direct impact on offense, with the Gaels scoring 23 points off of turnovers compared to just one point from the Lions. Johnson and Ducas each recorded two steals, and on both of Johnson's steals, it led to dunks on the other side.
 
THESE THINGS STOOD OUT
Some of the early runs in each half were impressive for the Gaels, including a 22-2 run after the Lions led 4-2 and a 21-3 to start second half…Matthias Tass broke his streak of consecutive double-doubles at three, but scored 10 points to extend his double-digit point streak to 11 games…Kyle Bowen hit a pair of corner threes early in the game and put up solid numbers, including tying a career-best with four assists…Dan Fotu was big in the second half, putting up eight total points in the game after having to play heavier minutes with Bowen in foul trouble…off the bench, Jabe Mullins hit a pair of threes late in the game and Mitchell Saxen recorded five points with six boards…the Gaels scored 46 points in the paint compared to just 18 for LMU.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels return to the Bay Area for the next two matchups in conference play, but will spend Thursday night on the road as the Gaels take on the USF Dons on The Hilltop. This marks the first matchup between the two teams this season after their January 1 contest in Moraga got postponed. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm with the broadcast available on Stadium, as well as The Varsity Network with Alex Jensen and Dave Lewis.
 
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